Possible Front tire brake grinding:

Hi. I have a loud grinding noise (metal-on-metal sounds) emitting from what may may be the right front tire area when I stop and lightly accelerate after stopping. The vehicle is a 1996 Mazda DX Protege with 179,000 miles,tires air pressure is stable or consistent. The front tire rods need to be replaced (saving for this) so I can get a proper front tire alignment and straighten the tires out from the 5 to 7 or 10 degree angle that they are sticking outward at (interior wheel treads wear down quickly). I moronically put some coolant in the brake system a month ago. Three quarters to an inch at top. A mechanic sponged the liquid out of the brake fluid container and vacuumed the rest of the brake fluid and then refilled the container with fresh fluid within twelve hours (and an hour of driving in that time frame) after I mistakenly put the coolant in the engine brake container. Is this the reason for the grinding noise? Is it a rotor,alignment issue,simple pad problem?

2 Answers

The coolant is probably not the issue. Coolant has a much lower boiling point than water, and the heat from braking would probably boil the coolant, giving you a very weak brake pedal. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, which means it absorbs water, so whatever small amount is in there...I bet youre ok. You should flush the system just to be safe. The grinding noise could be a number of things. The most likely is the brake pads are worn down to their backing plates. If youre hearing a grinding noise, you really shouldnt be driving the vehicle for safety reasons. Not to mention the possible further damage you can do (rotors, calipers, axle boots etc can be ruined). Have someone qualified look at your vehicle immediately.

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